Catrina: A Warriors Fanfiction
by jstroud1624
Summary: Catrina is a normal girl who loves cats. Little does she know that she can speak to them and is destined to help a Clan in need according to the newest prophecy.
1. Chapter 1

(A/N- please review and tell me what you think!)

(Catrina POV)

I was born in the eye of hurricane Katrina, in the sturdy basement of a hospital pretty far inland. Still, the storm roared on overhead until dying out just a mile from here. It was weak when it got here, very weak. But still, it left its mark. I emerged in the wreckage, my mother screaming in pain despite the meds. She was screaming for both her baby and the hurricane above. My parents knew they almost had to name me Katrina. But they didn't want it to be exactly the same.

A stray cat lost from the storm wandered up to me, laying in my sleeping mother's arms. No one noticed because it was just a tiny kitten. I giggled and pet it, then giggled more when it purred. My mother woke and laughed, watching her newborn playing with a kitten- a peculiar happening, indeed. So she named me Catrina, with 'cat' in it, so she could remember me playing with the tiny stray kitten as a newborn.

_Twelve years later_

(Lilypetal POV)

Crowtail crept through the forest ahead of me into Twolegplace. "There!" he hissed, flicking his tail towards the girl.

A younger Twoleg, who we were looking for, was sprawled out in a clearing of grass, asleep. Two kittypets were with her, napping beside her.

"Fleabrains," Crowtail hisses. "Napping with a _Twoleg_."

"A special, important Twoleg," I remind him. "Catrina."

"Well, they don't know that."

I sigh and step out to stand beside her. I lean over and look at her face. Black hair swirls around her, her pale face stark in contrast.

"Great StarClan," I mutter. "It _is_ her." I poke and prod her with a paw. It's useless. Then I have an idea. "Catrina," I meow. He blinks and sits up, throwing me backwards. I sit back up and shake my pelt sourly.

"Sorry," she whispers, mewing. "I heard my name. Sorry." She pets my head. I resist the urge to move and flick my tail in the direction of the forest.

"Come," I meow. Her eyes widen.

"I can understand you," she meows.

"_I _can understand _you_," I say, shocked. "You're meowing, you know." She blinks and gasps, then blurts out a bunch of Twoleg nonsense.

"Sorry," she mews, narrowing her eyes at her voice as she does. She raises an eyebrow. "Is this magic?"

"StarClan no, magic doesn't exist." I say, starting off towards the forest with my tail swishing behind me. "Prophecies do, though, and you're in one of them, so come on."


	2. Chapter 2

(Lilypetal POV)

Catrina follows me through the forest with Crowtail at her heels.

"Stupid, stupid," he mutters. "Bringing a _Twoleg_ to camp."

"Not just any Twoleg," I growl. "Now, shut up, fleabrain." I turn to Catrina. "I'm Lilypetal," I say, "ThunderClan medicine cat. That's Crowtail. He's a warrior. His mate, Rosepelt, is the leader's daughter. Her name is Willowstar. She makes all the decisions, and she has nine lives. Oh, and her mate, Owlfur, is deputy, and that's second-in-command."

Catrina nods slowly. I stay silent the rest of the trip to camp so as not to confuse her any more.

"Twoleg!" the kits howl when we enter the clearing. They scurry back to the nursery.

Purring in amusement, Willowstar walks up to greet Catrina, who looks out of place in her bright Twoleg clothing.

"Hi," Catrina mews.

"Hello," Willowstar replies, seeming surprised. "I'm Willowstar. Welcome to ThunderClan. Um, I'll need you escorted to a special place where we get messages from our ancestors in StarClan, um, so if you will…"

Catrina nods and followers her to the Highrock. A group of warriors has assembled there, waiting. They escort Catrina out of camp and towards the Moonpool, and as I watch them leave, I wonder what lies ahead of our Twoleg hero.

(Catrina POV)

The place the cats lead me to is huge and ornate. I do as they say and touch my hand to the water. I fall asleep quite suddenly, as if by narcotics.

I blink open my eyes to see the night sky all around me, bathed in starlight. I look up to see a pure snow white ca with dazzling blue eyes approach.

"Catrina," she meows. "I am Snowstar. I was leader of RiverClan."

A black tom with sharp green eyes steps up beside her. "I am Nightshadow of ShadowClan," he says. "I was killed mere hours before I would have become leader."

Before I can mutter sympathy to him, another cat joins them, a wiry grey cat with pale brow flecks in her fur. Her eyes, a soft grey, gaze in my general direction, but it appears that she is blind.

"I am Duststar of WindClan," she says. "Leader, of course."

Now a fiery orange tom with glowing green eyes joins them.

"I am Firestar," he says. "I was a great leader of ThunderClan, and to some, a legend. Were you born in ThunderClan as a kit, you would have heard stories about me and the Great Battle." He just looks legendary. He has a sense of ancient pride about him that's untouchable.

"Catrina," Snowstar mews. "You are given the task of living two very different lives, a great task granted by StarClan. We are here to help you. You will find that from now on, when you cross the border between the Clans and the Twolegplace, you will change into either your human self or your cat self. StarClan honors your courage coming here today and accepting your challenge."

"But," Nightshadow starts, "There is trouble coming for the Clans. You are the beacon of hope sent by StarClan to help them survive it. You must be prepared to fight and risk your life as if you were a true Clan Warrior."

"Now," Duststar mews, "your Clan is your choice, but choose wisely, for it is where you will belong for many moons ahead, as you will live much longer than us cats as a human. And therefore your power to change will fade over time."

"Catrina," Firestar mews. "You now have the choice of your Clan to make." He flicks his tail and a part of the sky changes to reveal a vast moor with wiry cats sprinting across it after rabbits. "WindClan lives on the moor. They eat mostly rabbit. They are thin and long-legged so they can run very fast." The scene changes to a swamp-like meadow with a wide stream cutting through it, and there are muscular cats with thin, glossy pelts swimming through the water. "RiverClan," Firestar says. "They hunt fish and can swim. If you're as deathly afraid of water as most cats, I wouldn't go there if I were you." The scene changes again to a dark, shadowy pine forest, and big, battle-scarred cats stalk through the shadows unseen. "ShadowClan," Firestar continues, "thrives in the shadowy pine forests in their territory. They are very big and bold, often attacking other Clans for various reasons. To upset one greatly is like a death wish." The scene changes one more time to a bright forest with thick undergrowth and lots of plants. A group of cats that are average-sized and just a little muscular, the average cat, I suppose, stalks after prey in the forest, one even climbing a tree after a squirrel. "ThunderClan," Firestar says brightly. "My home Clan. We're average cats, and we value courage and intelligence. We live in the brighter part of the forest that has the most growth. We can stalk prey in the bushes or climb after it in the trees. And we do our best not to provoke any kind of battle."

"So," The other cats chime. "Which Clan do you choose?"

I think back to all the Clans; the bleak WindClan moor and fast, wiry cats; the wet RiverClan meadow with the strong cats swimming up the stream; the dark ShadowClan forest with the huge scarred cats stalking in the shadows; the bright, overgrown ThunderClan forest with the pleasant cats stalking and climbing around.

_We value courage and intelligence. _That's what Firestar had said, and it describes me well.

ThunderClan. I belong in ThunderClan.

"I choose ThunderClan," I say. Firestar nods, his eyes smiling.

I wake up back where I was by the pool, except now, I'm a cat.


	3. Chapter 3

(Catrina POV)

I slowly rise to my paws, wobbling away from the pool. I'm not used to walking on all fours.

I swipe my tongue around my mouth and flick my tail a little. Being a cat is really different. All of my senses are really sharp now, and despite the fact that it's just barely the break of dawn, I can see everything clearly.

"Hey!" one of the warriors with me shouts. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"It's me," I say. "Catrina."

He stares at me, appalled, and turns to the other three. They shrug, muttering things like 'Who else would it be?' and 'She does look similar to Catrina.'

They turn and head back towards the ThunderClan camp and I quickly leap to my paws to follow them, but topple over from losing my balance. With a hiss of annoyance I get back up and shake out my fur. Then I race after them.

(Willowstar POV)

I wake up with a content yawn. My dream was watching Catrina's vision at the Moonpool. I already know the perfect name for her.

When the patrol enters the camp with the cat version of Catrina hard on their heels, I leap down from the Highrock to greet her.

"Willowstar," she says, coming to a wobbly halt next to me. "I had this dream and-"

"I know," I say, "Firestar let me watch from his point of view in my dreams."

"Oh." She shifts her weight from paw to paw. "It's really different," she says suddenly. "Being a cat, I mean."

"I'm sure it is," I say. "I, um- Firestar explained something to me, too. You just change when you cross the Clan-Twolegplace border now, but he said you will be able to control it later. Your family, friends- he's gotten into their minds somehow, with the help of an age-old Shifter like you. They still think you're there, like normal. That fake version of you as a Twoleg is already programmed to do everything you would in every situation, so you can go back to Twoleg form whenever- taking its place- and only we will know which is the real you. It will disappear when you go back as a Twoleg and reappear when you leave."

She nods, seeming to at least sort of understand. "Like a copy of me living the human life that I can't anymore."

I sigh. "Yes," I say. "I guess you could say that."

"Okay." I wave my tail towards the clearing and she nods, disappearing in a throng of curious cats.

I leap up the Highrock to call for a Clan meeting.

(Catrina POV)

"Let a cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Willowstar calls.

I sit with the other cats and look up at her warily.

"Catrina," she calls. "Step forward, please." I slowly pad forward, nervous.

"Catrina, you have visited with StarClan and have become a cat like us. To be a full Clan cat, though, you must become an apprentice and train to become a warrior." My paws tingle with delight.

"StarClan," Willowstar continues, "I call upon you to look down upon this cat, who you have gifted with the power of shifting, as she earns her place in her chosen Clan, ThunderClan. Catrina, your new name will be Thunderpaw. StarClan has granted me permission to use such a legendary name for such a legendary cat. I will be your mentor."

The assembled Clan cats cheer and chant my name, "Thunderpaw! Thunderpaw! Thunderpaw!" and I feel it echoing around the clearing.

My new name is Thunderpaw, and I am a ThunderClan apprentice, and one day, I will be a legendary warrior, a Shifter.


End file.
